James Comey

08/30/2017

The Art of the Deal was the book that brought public recognition to Donald Trump and started him on the path to the presidency. It brought him a certain credibility as a businessman and established him as a figure capable of making wonderful deals: a man who knew what he was doing when negotiating with other people. His television persona in The Celebrity Apprentice and his constant appearance in the society pages of the newspapers reinforced the idea that he was a man of great street smarts and knowledge. However, the persona he presented was all a façade, with not a curious bone in his body and no desire to read or learn anything new. He was a narcissistic con artist who fooled many people into believing he was smarter than he was, richer than he was, and with the ability to run a country as well as a business.

Yet if he were the successful businessman he claimed to be, why was he so concerned about releasing his tax returns to public scrutiny, as every other presidential candidate had done for the last forty years. Had he done something illegal? Was he involved with shady characters or the Russians? Was he in debt or less rich than he had led Americans to believe? There were stories floating around of how he had stiffed contractors working on his projects and had misled investors in some of his deals, causing them to lose large sums. It would have been so easy for him to dispel the rumors and show the world that he had not done anything illegal and that he was indeed rich and successful. But his refusal to release his taxes had to mean that he was hiding something, or perhaps many things. For this arrogant businessman not to prove to everyone that he was an amazingly successful person and to stop people from questioning his bona fides indicated that he was afraid to do it for one reason or another.

And why is he worried about Mueller investigating his financial records in addition to his and his campaign team’s involvement with the Russians. What can be revealed that troubles him, either because he did something illegal or it threatens to impact his stature? And for a man as pompous and smug as Trump, the latter would probably be as devastating as the former. He has a self-image that he doesn’t want tainted.

So while we wait for the Mueller and Congressional investigations to run their course, Trump sits in the White House, making many Americans anxious as he acts and reacts spontaneously to slights and perceived slights from individuals and countries. In reality, instead of The Art of the Deal, he should have titled his book The Art of the Ordeal, which he is putting all Americans through as they wait to see what will happen next. A compendium of his actions does not give one much hope that at some point a new Donald Trump will emerge.

A minor summary of the ordeal Americans have been subjected to by Trump would include his ‘pussy grabbing’ of women, his insistence on a wall at America’s southern border that Mexico will pay for, his unadulterated praise for Putin, his negative comments about John McCain- a true hero, his belittling of a Muslim Gold Star family when Trump never served in the military, his hiring and then firing of General Flynn, his firing of James Comey who would not do his bidding at the FBI, his support for fossil fuels when more jobs are in renewables, his dropping out of the Paris Accord which was unnecessary from an economic standpoint, his denigration of NATO, his handling of Charlottesville and equating white supremacists with anti-racist marchers, his pardoning of Joe Arpaio who violated human rights, his threat to let the US default on its debt if there is no funding for his wall, and on and on.

So where do we go from here? Will the ordeal ever come to an end? Trump could resign, or Mueller could come after him, or he could be impeached, or fill out his four year term. Re-election is too horrid to consider. Now that citizens have seen him in action in office, could they possibly keep him for another four years? Remember that few Americans imagined him as president in the first place and he still won. He would love to win another term just to stick it to the elites, academics, and liberals who have labelled him an incompetent bully and buffoon.

08/02/2017

It really started during the campaign when Trump went through multiple campaign managers. From Corey Lewandowski to Paul Manafort to KellyAnne Conway and Steve Bannon. And it has not stopped since Trump attained the presidency. Personnel are dropped like hot potatoes in this administration for various reasons. But maybe it means that they shouldn’t have been hired in the first place.

That was certainly the case with the second to be pushed off the carousel. General Mike Flynn was shoved out within three weeks of the start of the administration as National Security Advisor, a position he never should have been given. Flynn had been fired by Obama, with the latter warning Trump about taking him aboard. But Trump disregarded the warnings and went with his gut, which turned out to be all wrong. No surprise. Flynn had lied about his contacts with Russia and Turkey, including the large sums of money he had received from each country, and had been given security clearance without proper vetting. Trump should have known better given the bizarre lies Flynn had composed about Hillary, including the pizza joint pedophilia. Now, Flynn is a possible candidate for indictment and prison. He knows about a lot of the dirty laundry involving Trump and the Russians, but will he talk?

The first to leave was Sally Yates as acting Attorney General who was a hold-over from the Obama administration. She refused to go along with Trump’s travel ban on Muslim citizens and he gave her the boot, with a not very complimentary parting statement.

The Chief Usher, Angela Reid, who was appointed by Obama, was let go in May, an unusual move for a non-policy job that generally lasts several administrations.

James Comey, the head of the FBI, also was fired in May in a very controversial act. According to Comey, Trump demanded loyalty to him and an end to the Flynn investigation and Russian involvement in the election, requests to which Comey was unwilling to acquiesce. Standing up to Trump and trying to remain independent got him canned, which may come back to haunt Trump. Special Investigator Robert Mueller, who is also looking into the Russian connections and meddling in the election, is scrutinizing Comey’s firing as well as possible obstruction of justice. He may be much tougher on the president than Comey and Trump may try to fire him before the inquiry is finished.

Michael Dubke, who was White House Communications Director resigned in May.

Walter Shaub, the head of the Office of Government Ethics resigned in July after a number of disputes with Trump and members of the administration. It appeared that “ethics” and “conflict of interest” were foreign words to Trump and his buddies who did not want to follow Shaub’s directives. The likelihood is that Trump will find a replacement who will go along with any unsavory moves that Trump wants to take and label them as ethical.

Sean Spicer left the job of press secretary in July, jumping off the merry-go-round apparently on good terms with the boss. However, at various times during his tenure, he had taken a pounding from Trump for not defending him vigorously enough and not lying when lies were necessary. Even so, Spicer was the butt of laughter on numerous occasions from the press corps when it was obvious his excuses for some of Trump’s actions or statement were pure BS.

Reince Priebus resigned as White House Chief of Staff last week, though he really was booted out by Trump who thought he was too weak for the job. Of course, Trump didn’t listen to or follow Priebus’ advice, going his own sweet way and not even including Priebus in many meetings. His resignation was pre-ordained from the outset.

Anthony Scaramucci, aka “the Mooch” had probably the shortest tenure of any major figure in any White House. The Director of Communications was unceremoniously expelled from his job and Trump’s good graces with an invective-laced screed against Priebus and Bannon on the Sunday morning talk shows that were totally inappropriate and lacking in class. While that may not have bothered Trump in the past, it did this time.

Though Attorney General Jeff Sessions is still around, he has been bad-mouthed by Trump who appears anxious to can him. How long Sessions will last is a matter of conjecture.

This list of people who left the administration for one or another reason is far from complete. These were just some of the major players and did not include many who did not take jobs offered or who withdrew at one point or another. Working for Trump is like riding a wild bucking bronco and not purely an up and down smooth ride on a merry-go-round.

07/26/2017

Jeff Sessions is being flagellated by his boss because of Russia. And it doesn’t stop. At every opportunity, Trump gets in a dig at Sessions for recusing himself from the inquiry about whether Russia interfered in the election and whether there was collusion with Trump or his team. The president believes there never would have been a special investigator looking into his affairs and those of his associates if Sessions had not recused himself and had blocked any investigation.

But why is President Trump so obsessed with the Russia investigation. If there is nothing to hide, why is Trump making such a big deal about it? It appears that he is going to try to make Jeff Sessions quit as Attorney General, or if that does not work to fire him. Then he can appoint a new Attorney General who can oversee or eliminate the special investigation. Trump would love to get rid of Mueller and his staff, but that might raise an uproar even among conservatives who are currently backing Trump. Having a new AG doing the dirty work for him might be more palatable for Trump. The new AG could say the investigation was tainted and that he wants to start all over with a new team. However, that action would also cause a backlash from Republicans and Democrats alike.

It may be that Trump is afraid his tax returns might reveal long standing connections with Russia, perhaps financial backing for his real estate empire, and that is what he wants to keep hidden from the special investigator. In fact, he warned Mueller to stay away from any of his financial dealings as Mueller was charged with looking into the Russian meddling in the election and not anything else.

But Mueller is taking a broader view of his directive and is trying to learn if there were any associations between the Russians and Trump prior to the election that might have carried over. Putin disliked Hillary and saw Trump as a possible friend or puppet in the White House, willing to end Russia’s sanctions if Russia assisted him in his quest to get elected. Congress however, has tied Trump’s hands in dealing with the sanctions, prohibiting the president from unilaterally rolling back any of the restrictions without Congressional approval.

This was done in spite of Trump’s lobbying of Congress against it, wanting to retain the power to act if he saw fit. But Congress was obviously wary of Trump’s relationship with Putin and Russia, despite both men denying there was any Russian interference with the election. The new sanctions and the limitations on Trump were indications that Congress does not trust the president when it comes to Russia and the bill was passed with a veto-proof majority in both Houses of Congress.

Trump’s lawyering up to deal with the Russian investigation and the discussions of his ability to pardon his team members and possibly himself are further suggestions that there is some dirt in Trump’s closet that he does not want to be swept out and it likely involves the Russians. It has to seem strange to Mueller and his investigators as well as neutral onlookers that members of Trump’s team had so many meetings with Russians before and after the elections. Not China, Great Britain, Israel, or any other friends or adversaries of the United States were favored with similar meetings. Why Russia?

07/20/2017

President Trump said it himself the other day when discussing a number of states’ refusal to release data to his commission investigating election fraud. He declared that there must be something wrong going on if these states won’t provide information on their voters because of concerns about privacy. Applying the same standards to Trump, there must be something wrong going on with his refusal to release his taxes, his firing of James Comey, his anger at Jeff Sessions in recusing himself in the Russian investigation and the complete lack of transparency by the Trump team unless forced to release information.

Trump has also warned Mueller to stay away from his financial information since the investigation is supposed to focus on Russia. But what if Trump’s taxes and financial data reveal a connection with Russia, its banks or agencies? What is he trying to hide and what is wrong?

Certainly, Trump must have known about Donald Jr and Kushner’s meeting with the Russians that took place in Trump Tower while Trump was in the building. It is unlikely that Jr did not tell his father that some dirt on Hillary was in the offing, since he was so overjoyed at the prospect. And Trump himself said that he would be giving a speech on Hillary’s transgressions in the near future when his son was meeting with the Russians. The only problem was that the Russians apparently did not have much information on Hillary that would be of political value.

The meeting could also have discussed when Wikileaks would release the data in Hillary that they likely obtained from the Russians, and what else could be done to damage her. Whatever the meeting encompassed, it was obviously illegal for members of the Trump team to try and get damaging information on their opposing candidate from a foreign power- especially one that was considered an adversary. This was not false news as it was in Jr’s email.

As far as the original FBI investigation of Trump under James Comey, he likely did come across something that hit a raw nerve of Trump’s if he was willing to fire someone who the political class and the public thought of highly. Or he was afraid that Comey would uncover something shortly and wanted to prevent it. There obviously was something to hide. That’s why Trump was so angry at Sessions for recusing himself from the Russian investigation as Trump thought that Sessions would be able to end the inquiry and bury anything that was damaging to his boss.

The same reasoning is behind Trump’s failure to release his taxes as he promised he would multiple times, and his warning to Mueller to stay away from looking into any financial issues. If there was nothing wrong and nothing to hide, Trump would have encouraged Mueller to dig in to everything and get him exonerated.

There seems to be little question that Putin has something on Trump and that Trump’s willingness to fight against increased sanctions on Russia for interference in our elections puts this out on the table. Is it financial loans from Russian banks for Trump’s real estate empire or ‘kompromat’- compromising information about sexual or criminal actions that might have involved the president.

Mueller has said that he will investigate Trump’s financial dealings after Trump warned him not to. Will this lead to Trump firing Mueller or trying to stonewall him in some way? Whatever happens, Mueller does not appear to be a guy who will be bullied by the president. If there’s something wrong or hidden, he should find it.

06/14/2017

One of our Founding Fathers, John Adams, (the second president) believed it important that America should have “a government of laws, not of men.” This ideal became part of the Massachusetts Constitution and was repeated subsequently at various times by attorneys and statesmen. At one point, it might have been a maxim for American exceptionalism, but now there are many democratic nations trying to adhere to that standard. What it meant was that the laws of the land were more powerful than any individual or group, and would keep people in check who tried to be above the law or disregard it, taking actions that would benefit them. In addition to written laws, there are also traditions that have taken hold over the years regulating the conduct of men and women in all three branches of the federal government. State and local governments also have officeholders follow certain patterns of behavior that have become ingrained and expected whether or not they have been written down. (Examples- Standing when a judge enters the courtroom. Having the Senate Majority Leader schedule the Senate’s agenda.)

The question now is whether the nation’s government is being run according to the laws and traditions established over the years or whether they are being superseded by the actions of powerful men. There is little question that President Trump ignores the laws and customary traditions of the presidency, following his own instincts to do as he pleases. In terms of his actions and lack of actions, his presidency is different than any one that preceded it even though he has been in office only five months.

However, the overturning of unwritten traditions occurred in the Senate even before Trump was elected. In November of 2013, Democrats in the Senate with Harry Reid as the Majority Leader eliminated the filibuster for the confirmation of judges and executive officials by a 52 to 48 vote, changing approval to a simple majority. This occurred after Republicans had continuously obstructed nominees sent to the Senate by Obama for lower court and executive positions. It was understood however, that the filibuster would remain in place when Supreme Court nominees came up for confirmation.

In 2014, the Senate majority changed from the Democrats to the GOP, with Senator Mitch McConnell elected by Republicans as Majority Leader. When Merrick Garland, with centrist credentials, was sent to the Senate for confirmation for a Supreme Court position in 2016, the Republicans upended Senate traditions by refusing to have him questioned by the judicial committee or voted on by the full Senate. McConnell insisted that Senate would wait until after the presidential election for the new president to make the choice because it was Obama’s last year in office. This had never been an issue previously when a vacancy opened up on the Court in the last year of a president’s term.

Garland was never confirmed and President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court position earlier this year. When the Democrats filibustered Gorsuch’s confirmation because of the way the GOP had treated Garland, McConnell used what was called the ‘nuclear option,’ having a simple majority of the Senate confirm Gorsuch. Thus within a short period of times, Senate traditions were eliminated by the actions of both parties.

Of course, Trump is a person who cares little for traditions or the law. His narcissism and self-regard drives his behavior without consideration for precedents. The way he handled his campaign with name-calling and personal derogation of his opponents in the primary contests and general election had never occurred before. His refusal to release his taxes to scrutiny was contrary to forty years of accepted and expected behavior by presidential candidates. Though on several occasions he promised to show his taxes, it has still not happened though the majority of the country would like them made public. The conflict of interest with his businesses and the office of the president is also something that had not previously taken place, which does not seem to move the president. It is possible the special investigator, Bob Mueller, may ask to see his taxes to get some answers, if Trump doesn’t find a way to remove him from office beforehand.

Trump’s firing of the FBI head, James Comey, in the midst of the investigation of Russia’s interference in the presidential election and the Trump campaign’s involvement with the Russians, is another first for the president who confirmed this was his reason for dispensing with Comey. More of the country trusts Comey’s description of events than Trump’s.

The public would also like the president to stop his tweeting, as would his associates, but you can’t keep a good man away from his Twitter. Maybe if he stopped tweeting, he’d have time to make more sub-cabinet appointments, with most departments and agencies of the government still working with inadequate personnel. These include DOD, State, Treasury, Homeland Security, and so forth, necessary to run the government efficiently. And defying tradition, Trump’s last cabinet meeting was open to television cameras to record the members of the cabinet praising Trump for all of his accomplishments and allowing them to be part of his team. It would have been more appropriate in North Korea than America.

Whether there was collusion by Trump campaign officials with the Russians remains to be seen as does the possibility of obstruction of justice in his interactions with Comey and the subsequent firing. But Trump and his administration act as if they are not constrained by traditions or laws, creating their own playbook as they go along. It is a government of men and not laws. John Adams must be turning over in his grave, though it is unlikely Trump even knows who Adams was.

05/23/2017

Many Americans wish that President Trump’s trip abroad will keep him out of sight, though that is unlikely with the press corps and media following him around, watching every move and listening to every word. He has dominated the news cycles for weeks now, with daily actions and tweets that keep Americans buzzing, most of it quizzically, trying to make sense of what Trump is doing. Never have the day to day activities of a president kept so many Americans on edge, wondering what will come next.

One can expect a detailed analysis by the pundits of every action of Trump on his visits to foreign states and interactions with their leaders, repeatedly broadcast on cable TV and national networks. So Trump unfortunately will not be out of mind, though out of the country. In all likelihood, there will be gaffes and mistakes, the hallmarks of the Trump presidency, as he does not like to study briefing books or listen to lectures by members of his staff. But the other heads of state will treat him with courtesy and respect, playing down any of his statements that are beyond the pale, offering support and ignoring his blunders, inaccuracies, hyperbole, errors in judgement, and misinterpretation of the facts.

But the American media will not be so forgiving, which is the reason President Trump will not be out of mind or out of sight. One can expect journalists to be like bulldogs, latching onto any misjudgments by the President or any ill-advised remarks, the messages going home to American televisions and headlines in the newspapers.

It has been a bad few weeks for the president who usually revels in attention from the media, but does not like criticism or a negative slant on what he says or does. But his comments to the Russian visitors to the White House about Comey and why he fired him were outrageous, not befitting any official of the government, much less the president. Calling Comey a ‘nut case’ and crazy to the Russians was the pot calling the kettle black. And what were the Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador doing in the White House in the first place. Trump was treating them as long time buddies, instead of adversaries of America.

Being in Saudia Arabia, Israel, and Italy, and then meeting with the G7 leaders is not going to keep Trump out of the spotlight. It will be a great opportunity for gaffes and for him to show his lack of knowledge regarding foreign affairs, which of course will get him hammered by the media. Just how much of this will he be able to take before his ego collapses, notwithstanding his protective shell of narcissism. More than his narcissism, however, he has a bad case of foot in mouth disease, for which there appears to be no cure. Will there be a point where he decides to resign the presidency, rather than taking all the abuse from which he cannot escape?

And the Special Investigator Robert Mueller digging into the Trump team’s association with the Russians and possible collusion in the release of information must be eating away at Trump, with him labeling it a ‘witch hunt.’ It’s obviously bothering him. Even more upsetting could be the talk of impeachment, though it’s too early to know whether he’s committed enough ‘crimes and misdemeanors’ to have Congress go after him. Perhaps he will continue to take more trips abroad to try and keep out of sight, though he certainly will not be out of mind.

05/18/2017

One has to wonder whether President Trump’s series of foolish and possibly criminal actions have been done thoughtlessly or purposely to demonstrate his power and ability to survive situations that would take down any other president. In reality, however, he has been engaged in a slow act of self-immolation, destroying himself and any chance he might have had to make a positive impact on history. If the Republicans did not control both Houses of Congress, an independent investigation commission would have been at work earlier, trying to dissect all of Trump’s pre-and post-election activities that may have been illegal and even possibly treasonous.

The contact of his campaign aides with Russian operatives prior to the election should have been enough to warrant a non-partisan special inquiry, especially with the hacking of Democratic Party emails and the release of data to the public at times that would benefit the Trump campaign. His love-fest with Putin, an American adversary was also suspicious, along with Trump’s denigration of America’s intelligence agencies. How can a president possibly work successfully without the nation’s intelligence agencies on board?

His hiring of Michael Flynn as his security advisor despite warnings from President Obama and Flynn’s contact with the Russians, then the abrupt firing of Flynn also raised suspicions that something was not quite right. And there was the three week hiatus when Trump was told about Flynn’s lies by Assistant Attorney General Sally Yates and the actual firing of Flynn that raised more questions. And why did Trump fire Yates, a career official at the Justice Department.

The more recent firing of James Comey as head of the FBI to thwart the inquiry into Trump’s Russian associations was an act of desperation. Trump had to know that getting rid of Comey would have political repercussions, but he did it anyway, trying to blunt the FBI hunt for answers to the puzzle of Trump and the Russians. (Trump is treating the presidency as a long episode of The Apprentice with his frequent firings and hirings.)

There are so many questions that need to be answered by the investigation that will soon be started. What were Trump’s long term relations with the Russians? Did he have financial ties with some of the oligarchs related to his real estate deals and was he indebted to them in some ways? The release of Trump’s tax returns might have revealed answers, but these have remained hidden from the public eye in spite of Trump’s promises on several occasions that he would release them.

Do the Russians have any embarrassing photos or videos of Trump and his penchant for attractive women? Do they have any information that they could blackmail him with? Was the release of damaging data regarding Hillary coordinated with Trump’s associates and known to Trump? Why has he been so adamant about keeping his tax returns secret?

No matter what power the Russians have over Trump, the great dealmaker has not played his hand well. He keeps putting his foot in his mouth and pouring more gasoline on himself simultaneously, a difficult feat. The markets have told us that this is serious stuff from which Trump may not be able to extricate himself. When Trump said there was more news coverage of him than of 9/11, he was not kidding. It seems like he’s doing everything possible to keep the world’s attention focused on him.

With the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel, some answers may be forthcoming. Trump’s firing of James Comey may have backfired adding to his immolation.